Sunday, July 15, 2012

Slavery, Zombies, Famous Mustachioed Men: This Week in the Book Pages

The big one this week is Eric Foner's review, for the Nation, of More Than Freedom: Fighting for Black Citizenship in a White Republic, 1829–1889 (Penguin Press), by Stephen Kantrowitz. In addition to characterizing historians as "professional killjoys," Foner discusses the historiography of emancipation. Then he gets into the book, which "chronicl[es] the struggles of Boston’s black activists over the course of the nineteenth century." Here's a bit more:

Kantrowitz argues convincingly that the familiar story of sectional
crisis, civil war and emancipation takes on a different cast when viewed
from the perspective of these black activists. The slavery controversy
unleashed a complex, far-reaching debate about the role that racial
difference should play in defining such core American values as freedom,
equality and citizenship. Boston’s black leaders inserted themselves
into this debate, using every means at their disposal—petitions,
speeches, pamphlets, lawsuits and direct action—in pursuit of their
goals. In so doing, they directly challenged the prevailing assumption
that “public life was for whites only.” Kantrowitz insists, moreover,
that the familiar label “black abolitionists” is a misnomer, since their
goals extended well beyond ending slavery.

Also in the Nation: William Julius Wilson reviews (here) The Great Divergence, by Timothy Noah, and Coming Apart, by Charles Murray. We've mentioned both these books before, but WJW's comments on inequality are worth a read.

I've been waiting, just waiting, for the chance to mention Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Given his target of opportunity, Jonathan Shapiro is admirably restrained: I counted a single, oblique reference in his review (for the Tribune newspapers) of The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln (Alfred A. Knopf), the latest novel by Yale Law professor Stephen L. Carter.

For more on Islam, turn to the New Republic: The Book, where you'll find a review ofIslamism and Islam(Yale University Press), by Bassam Tibi.
Reviewer Samuel Helfont sees the book as a response to those on the
right and the left who believe "Islam and Islamism to be
indistinguishable."